An injury to Morgan Rogers (£7.0m) soured Aston Villa’s thumping win over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Here’s a summary of what we saw – live! – at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium.
ASTON VILLA 4-0 ROMA
- Goals: Buendia, Ramsey, Watkins, Malen
- Assists: Watkins, Tielemans, Buendia, McGinn
ROGERS INJURY SCARE
Aston Villa sealed a comfortable 4-0 win over Roma on Wednesday, but have been handed an injury scare with Morgan Rogers (£7.0m) ahead of the new season.
The England international, who was brought on as a substitute at the start of the second half, appeared to land awkwardly shortly after.
Clutching his ankle, he received medical attention on the pitch.
He made a brief attempt to shake it off, but soon indicated to the bench that he was unable to continue, before heading straight down the tunnel.
His removal was perhaps precautionary, given that he ran off the pitch unaided, but it is certainly one to monitor ahead of next week’s opener against Newcastle United.
We’ve not yet had an update from Unai Emery on the midfielder – but the initial reports sound positive.
Initial assessments indicate the ankle injury Morgan Rogers picked up against Roma is not thought to be serious. Caution remains as further tests will take place but as of Thursday morning, hopeful of featuring against Newcastle.Story @TheAthleticFC #AVFChttps://t.co/u4LB1afwjp
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) August 7, 2025
Youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba (£4.5m) was brought on as a substitute, stepping into the No 10 position, before John McGinn (£5.5m) took on that role later in the game.
WATKINS + MALEN GOALS
Prior to Rogers’ injury, Villa had surged into a 3-0 lead in the first half, thanks to strikes from Emiliano Buendia (£5.5m), Jacob Ramsey (£5.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£9.0m).
Buendia netted a superb free-kick after Watkins had been brought down just outside the box.
A few minutes later, Villa doubled their advantage when Youri Tielemans (£6.0m) picked out Ramsey with an excellent no-look reverse pass. The move stemmed from the left, which proved to be a significant strength for Villa, with Ian Maatsen (£4.5m) in particular impressing.
Watkins, who looked really sharp, followed it up with his fourth goal of pre-season.
The second half was a much more stop-start affair, as Emery utilised 22 players in total, but there was still time for Donyell Malen (£5.5m) to get in on the act, despite a relatively subdued performance.
The Dutchman, who has now racked up five attacking returns in pre-season, led the line after Watkins was subbed off at half-time. However, no time was spent on the right, with Leon Bailey (£5.5m), McGinn and later Samuel Iling Jr (£5.5m) preferred. For potential owners, you’d ideally like to see Malen get some playing time here against Marseille and/or Villarreal this weekend.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez (Bizot 45); Bogarde (Cash 45), Konsa, Mings (Pau 45), Maatsen (Digne 45); Kamara (Iling Jr 64), Tielemans (Onana 45); Bailey (McGinn 45), Buendia (Rogers 45, Jimoh-Aloba 52), Ramsey (Hemmings 64); Watkins (Malen 45).
